And Then They Were Gone
by olivia.23
Summary: On the night of the 31st of October, 1981, Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin awaits the return of her Husband.


Hey there! It's been quite a few months since I last published anything, let alone Harry Potter. But I found this whilst cleaning up my documents today and though I'd see what you all think. I wrote it about a year ago. Note that Tonks is roughly the same age as the Marauders in this. If any of you have read my 'Werewolves in the Library', then I guess this is kind of a post that story fic. (And for any of you who are reading any of my other stories, I don't think I've given up on them entirely. I am in the middle of my final year of school, so I am trying to concentrate on that, but um yeah maybe after that I'll get some inspiration?)

Anyway, enjoy!

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Tonks sat perched on the window sill, her arms resting atop her round, protruding stomach as her eyes watched the street outside, searching for any sign of her husband. He had been gone for hours, and Tonks was beginning to feel worried. He usually let her know if he was going to be late on an Order mission. Just as she was about go to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea, she saw his familiar figure apparate in their small garden. Tonks ran to the door to greet him as he entered the house.

'Remus!' She cried, throwing her arms around him as soon as he opened the door. 'Where have you been? What took you so long?'

Tonks felt Remus tighten his grip on her, as if making sure she was really there. She looked up at him, and saw that his eyes were full of pain.

'What is it? What happened, sweetheart?' She asked, arms still wrapped around his neck.

Remus took Tonks' hands and led her over to the couch, where they both sat down.

For several moments, Remus simply starred at her. He opened and closed his mouth to speak several times. Finally, after apparently finding the right words, he spoke.

'Something happened tonight, Dora. Something bad.' He said, he voice hoarse. 'You have to be strong. You need to be strong.'

Tonks nodded, waiting for him to continue.

'James and Lily, they-, they're...' Remus stuttered. Tonks took his hand and squeezed it, urging him to continue.

'Voldemort he- he found them, Dora. He killed them.'

Tonks froze. She felt like her heart had stopped. Lily and James Potter couldn't be dead. They just couldn't.

'H-how?' She asked, her voice shaking. 'Their house was under the Filidus Charm. How did he find them? How?' Tonks could feel herself loosing it. But she didn't care. She felt she didn't care about anything at the moment.

'Dora, you need to prepare yourself. You can't afford to work yourself up, for the baby's sake. You must-'

'Please Remus, just tell me.'

Remus looked his wife straight in the eye and, after a brief hesitation, he told her.

'It was Sirius. Sirius broke the Filidus Charm, and he told Voldemort where to find them.'

'No.' Tonks heard herself say, however she couldn't remember the words leaving her mouth. There was no way this could have happened. Not Sirius. No, there must have been some mistake.

'Dora, there's more.' She heard Remus say. More? How could there possibly be more? What else could have happened?

'Before the Aurors could get to Sirius, h-he lost it. He killed 12 Muggles and when Peter tried to stop him, he...he killed him to.'

There was no way in the world any of this could be true. Tonks could literally feel her world being ripped from under her feat. James, Lily and Peter. How could Sirius have done this? What possibly could have captivated him? Was it that his family name had finally got the better of him? Or had he truly gone mad? Mad enough to kill three of the best friends he had ever had? Mad enough to steal a baby's parents away from him, forever?

And then an alarming thought entered Tonks' mind.

'Harry. What happened to Harry, Remus? Please tell me he isn't-'

'Harry is fine.' Remus interrupted before she could finish. His voice was of a man who was utterly defeated. 'Dumbledore believes that Voldemort attempts to kill him rebounded. Harry escaped with nothing but a scar, and Voldemort lost his power.'

'But does that mean that-, that he's gone?' Tonks asked, her voice small.

'No. Dumbledore believes that he escaped on the brink of death, but he still lives.'

'And what has happened to Harry. Where will he go?'

'Hagrid took him to Lily's sister house. He will remain there until he begins at Hogwarts.'

'But Lily's sister is a Muggle! And a horrible one, from what she told me! Harry should come and stay with us, at least until-'

'I told Dumbledore that. But he was insistent that Harry go to live with his aunt and uncle.' Remus paused. 'I-, I didn't even get to say goodbye to him. He must have been so afraid.'

It was in this moment that Remus Lupin, the strongest man Tonks had ever known, broke down. He began to shake uncontrollably, as the events of the evening took a toll upon him. In less than three hours, his world had almost entirely been ripped apart. The first friends he had ever known were gone. And a man he had regeared as his brother had betrayed them. Tonks quickly took him into her arms and held him. His face sunk into her shoulder, and she felt her shirt begin to moisten with his tears.

Long into the night they held onto each, other, gripping onto the small ounce of reality they had. Neither of them fought of sleep when it came and, eventually, they each drifted of into dreams haunted by the screams of the people they had lost.

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Let me know your thoughts via a review!


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